Cracking open James Gunn's latest novel, Transcendental, is like finding a lost manuscript from the Golden Age of Science Fiction. And while reading it, I enjoyed the retro-stylings — but couldn't help but think this is the kind of thing science fiction has left behind for a reason. »10/22/13 3:48pm 10/22/13 3:48pm

Jack Vance's impact on science fiction can't be overestimated. His Dying Earth series alone would be enough to make him one of the genre's most important figures. But he also gave us the Demon Princes series and several others, and he helped revitalize the planetary romance genre with Big Planet. He died over the… »5/29/13 1:40pm 5/29/13 1:40pm

When we try to imagine the world after an apocalypse, we often end up thinking of a particular era from history. It's not surprising — because the end of the world as we know it often means we'll lose a lot of the fruits of progress. People often talk about bombing someone "back to the Stone Age," for example. »5/24/12 3:00pm 5/24/12 3:00pm

Railsea, the new young adult novel by China Miéville, is quite literary but playful — with vast molehills of brilliant worldbuilding & lots & lots of ampersands. Utterly unlike any of the many shmoopy vampires & dystopian romances out there, one wonders whether this novel will find an eager audience among teenaged… »5/10/12 4:20pm 5/10/12 4:20pm

Some people's futures are determined by popular vote: American Idol contestants, class presidents, and people who want to get gay married in California. But what if every aspect of our lives was determined by our reputation and popularity? Would our futures be better, or would the tyranny of the popular spin us into… »2/04/12 10:00am 2/04/12 10:00am

The Register asked its readers to name the best science fiction books that haven't been turned into movies, and hundreds of nominations came in. Now the Register has whittled the list down to the 50 that got the most votes. »4/20/11 5:00pm 4/20/11 5:00pm

Looking for an antidote to Star Trek's utopian but overbearing Federation? Like your science fiction with a bigger emphasis on personal liberties? Then check out our list of the greatest libertarian science fiction. »4/18/11 10:00am 4/18/11 10:00am

It's December, when the days get shorter and colder. But there's no frigate like a book, and this month your ship's come in: The month's new books include cut-throat tailors, steampunk Wyatt Earp, and zombie Star Wars. »12/08/10 11:00am 12/08/10 11:00am

Cugel the Clever is one of the great archetypal figures in SF literature, the vain trickster in Jack Vance's post-apocalyptic Dying Earth stories. Kage Baker wrote a new Cugel story for a Dying Earth anthology, and it's up at Tor.com. »11/24/10 1:00pm 11/24/10 1:00pm

It used to be, science fiction took place in the future and fantasy in the past. But lately, more science fiction takes place in the past. So we can't help wondering whether there'll be more fantasy set in the future. »10/28/10 2:40pm 10/28/10 2:40pm

A pirate ship slices through space in concept art from the lost Dune movie of the 1970s. Artist Chris Foss crafted covers for some of science fiction's greatest books, reshaping how we see spaceships and robots. Check out our gallery. »11/20/09 7:00am 11/20/09 7:00am

They swagger, they fight, they laugh in the face of danger. Science-fiction books have given us some of the greatest swashbuckling heroes, cutting a swathe through space and countless alternate timelines. Here are some of our favorite book heroes. »11/19/09 4:39pm 11/19/09 4:39pm

Whether you want a fun beach read or a sweeping philosophical epic, June's books have you covered. You can encounter witches in Toronto and killer courtesans, or you can delve into America's dismal future, or Alastair Reynolds' eon-spanning colonization saga. »6/26/09 3:00pm 6/26/09 3:00pm

Looking for an antidote to Star Trek's utopian but overbearing Federation? Like your science fiction with a bigger emphasis on personal liberties? Then check out our list of the greatest libertarian science fiction... »5/15/09 11:15am 5/15/09 11:15am

Gary Gygax, co-inventor of Dungeons and Dragons, will probably be best remembered as the man who brought role playing games into the lives of millions of teenagers in the 1970s, and who helped spawn an entire industry. If you've ever rolled an eight-sided dice in a game, it's thanks to him. While his bread and butter… »3/04/08 1:30pm 3/04/08 1:30pm